TGA Guideline Updates and What They Mean for Our Patients

Have you read one of our treatment pages and still feel confused, like we didn’t provide enough information, or want to know more about the treatment?

As of 7 March 2024, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) , announced strict new guidelines for the advertising of non-surgical cosmetic procedures ‘to ensure advertising rules are applied consistently across all industries that deal with therapeutic goods’.

General terms, including ‘anti-wrinkle injections’ and ‘dermal fillers’, are now banned when advertising cosmetic injectables. These terms refer to (by drawing the audience’s mind to) prescription-only products. The TGA says alternatives to these references to support advertising of services include: ‘our clinic can provide consultations on reducing the appearance of wrinkles’.

The guidance provided by the TGA is succinct, with the main directive as follows:

‘Either directly or indirectly, you cannot make any reference in your advertisement for cosmetic injection services to prescription-only substances or to product trade names of such products. This includes acronyms, nicknames, abbreviations and hashtags, which may be taken by a consumer as a reference to a specific prescription- only medicine or substance.

This includes:

• anti-wrinkle injections

• dermal fillers

• injectable products used for improvement of the appearance of submental fat.

This does not apply to cosmetic injectables that do not contain any prescription-only substances.’

If you feel some of the wording on our website or social media accounts when discussing treatment options is ambiguous or does not provide enough detail, it may be because we have edited information to be compliant with these new and updated advertising guidelines.

Patient safety is our top priority, and these updates from the TGA are aimed at ensuring consistency and transparency in the advertising of therapeutic goods. As part of our dedication to your well-being, we will always adhere to regulatory standards and guidelines to provide you with the safest and most effective treatments possible. These changes are part of a bigger effort to make sure health professionals offering cosmetic treatments follow the rules. The TGA also want to protect people from ads that might influence their decisions about prescription medicines, which can be risky.

We will still be offering all of our regular cosmetic treatments, but the way we advertise and discuss them will change. If you have any questions about treatments that we offer, please call the clinic on 07 3009 5111 or book a complimentary nurse consultation online.

These nurse consultations allow us to discuss treatment options and tailor a plan specifically to you and your needs. We can also make time to perform the treatment during these consultation sessions should you want your treatment on the same day.

You can read more about the TGA’s changes here.